Annual Review...

[Kell]

(Pinched from Booking Through Thursday)

 

What’s the best book you read this year?

 

Worst?

 

Favorite?

 

The Best Books I’ve Read This Year:

There have been four books I’ve rated 5/5 this year:

 

* Kenneth Grahame – The Wind in the Willows

* Margaret Mitchell – Gone with the Wind

* Lauren Henderson – Jane Austen’s Guide To Dating

* Brom – The Child Thief

 

The Wind in the Willows is an old childhood favourite which I re-read for a reading circle and enjoyed every bit as much as I did when I was a kid. Gone With the Wind was a book I’d never read but had planned to for as long as I can remember. It certainly didn’t disappoint and has become a new favourite of mine that I know I’ll re-read at some point in the future. Jane Austen’s Guide to Dating was a complete surprise to me. I picked up a hardback copy in a pound shop and loved every second of it. It’s just so packed full of common sense advice presented in a fun way – a must for all fans of Jane Austen (especially if they’re single!). I’ll get to The Child Thief in a moment…

 

The Worst Books I’ve Read This Year:

Well, I abandoned eight books unfinished this year, but the most disappointing of those were:

 

* Stieg Larsson – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

* John Lawrence – The Secret Five and the Stunt Nun Legacy

 

I was also heartily disappointed by Edgar Allan Poe when I read his works for the month of November as a personal challenge.

 

My Favourite Book I’ve Read This Year:

Without a doubt, my absolute favourite book of the year was The Child Thief by Brom. This stunning take on the Peter Pan story blew me away with both its words and pictures. Brom is an artist of many talents and I adore his work. This instantly became an all-time favourite of mine which I will read again and again. I’ve just loaned it to my Mam as I’m certain she’ll love it too. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, so great is its awesomeness.

 

It’s been a good year!

[Raven]

There's already a thread for this here: Your Book Awards 2010.

[Kell]

This isn't the book awards though - this is just a weekly question I've been posting to get some extra conversation going. The Awards is mostly people just listing - this topic gives some scope for dicussion on why we liked or disliked a couple of books.

[bobblybear]

 

There have been four books I’ve rated 5/5 this year:

 

* Kenneth Grahame – The Wind in the Willows

* Margaret Mitchell – Gone with the Wind

* Lauren Henderson – Jane Austen’s Guide To Dating

* Brom – The Child Thief

 

 

 

The Wind In the Willows is a book I'm planning on re-reading, as I remember loving it as a child. I also managed to get Gone With The Wind for my Kindle for £0.49, but have yet to find the right time to read it. I've read a lot of positive reviews on it, but have read so many chunky books this year that I am in desperate need of lighter reading for a while.

 

My absolute favourite of the year would have to be The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell. I just love the way she writes, and the way the story comes together. You just know that there will be some kind of 'twist' towards the end, and the way she does it is so articulate and believable and original.

 

Worst book would be Brick Lane by Monica Ali. For some reason I thought it would be like White Teeth by Zadie Smith, but I just found it so disappointing. Also, I thought the The Tailor of Panama by John LeCarre blew chunks. It was my first LeCarre, and I just could not get into it. I found LeCarre's writing style very clunky, and I just couldn't get it flowing when I was reading it.

 

bobblybear

Edited December 31, 2010 by bobblybear

[lauraloves]

What was the best book you read this year?

 

Its a choice between

 

Windfall - Penny Vincenzi - because this was the book that got me back into seriously reading.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - because I loved the story and didnt want it to end

My Sisters Keeper - Jodi Picoult - Because of the amazing story

Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden - because I was surprised how easy it was to read.

 

What was the worst book you read this year?

 

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D Salinger - I was so disappointed in this book. so many people love it, but I just couldnt see what the fuss was about. Very dissapointing.

 

What was your Favourite book you read this year?

 

its got to be To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - I cannot beleive how much I loved this book, why didnt I read this sooner?

[Kell]

Worst book would be Brick Lane by Monica Ali. For some reason I thought it would be like White Teeth by Zadie Smith, but I just found it so disappointing.

I couldn't finish that book - it was so dull! I later tried to watch the film and found it pretty much the same

 

 

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D Salinger - I was so disappointed in this book. so many people love it, but I just couldnt see what the fuss was about. Very dissapointing.

 

What was your Favourite book you read this year?

 

its got to be To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - I cannot beleive how much I loved this book, why didnt I read this sooner?

I was disappointed by Catcher in the Rye too. I wondered if I just cam to it too late to appreciate it, but I really can't see what all the fuss is about.

 

To Kill a Mockgbird, on the other hand, is awesome - I love that book. I had the same "Why didn't I read this sooner?" reaction as you.

[Ben]

My Favourite Book I’ve Read This Year:

 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde was undoubtedly my favourite book of the year, and probably one of - or the - best book I've every read. I loved everything about it. The characters were brilliant and believable; the character of Dorian himself I enjoyed because of the mysteriousness that surrounds him throughout. His character contrasts well with that of Lord Henry, a clever and wise man, who has interesting views on the world which I found intriguing. In essence Wilde writes a novel which had me captivated; every last word is beautifully written and I feel that everyone can gain a lot from reading this novel.

 

My Worst Book I've Read This Year:

 

In all fairness I haven't read any bad books this year. I've abandoned many but none have been due to them being unreadable, more a lack of my own reading mojo. It would therefore be unfair to mention them, as I'm sure if I'd have been on better reading form I would have enjoyed them.

Edited December 31, 2010 by Ben

[nursenblack]

The Best Books I've Read This Year:

I gave all of the following a rating of 5/5.

 

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (couldn't wait to devour every word of this trilogy)

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (thought provocking, supernatural young-adult novel that I recommend to everyone)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (heartwarming book for all ages)

The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum (surprisingly dark and more violent than I was expecting)

 

My Favorite Book Of The Year:

My favorite book this year is Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I had always been a big fan of the movie and had read Scarlett the sequel written by Alexandra Ripley, which was just ok. Finally, I saw it available in hardback in a Literary Guild catalog and decided to order it. I don't have the words to describe how wonderful this epic novel is.

 

My Worst Book Of The Year:

 

The worst book that I could not even finish was The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. I wanted so much to love this book, but found it sooo boring.

The worst book that I did finish was Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. I have read four of Sparks's books now and after Dear John I vowed never to read another. I just can't tolerate lame sap fests that are written just for movie deals. (hope that dosen't offend anyone)

Edited January 1, 2011 by nursenblack

[Readwine]

The Best Book I've Read This Year:

 

I'll have to go with what looks like the majority here: Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

 

I started reading it because it has become a classic and I wanted to read at least one classic this year. I really had no interest in reading about the US Civil War, but I decided to give it a try anyway. WOW, was I pleasantly surprised! What a wonderful book and brilliant characters. I especially loved Rhett.

 

My Favorite Book Of The Year:

 

Again, discovered this new series by accident, wanting at the time to read a mystery without gore and violence. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley. (I know he now has a new one out and cannot wait to read it). These books feature an 11 year old girl detective who is smart, funny and vulnerable. Though the mysteries are plain vanilla really, the characters and the tone of the books are "lovely" - that is the only way I can describe them. If ever you are in a mood for a lovely little series, I highly recommend it,

 

My Worst Book Of The Year:

 

Two come to mind: The Religion by Tim Willocks and The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell. Absolutely waste of time and redeeming factors. Unfortunately, I am one of those readers who will finish a book even though it is terrible. In a way, I guess this compulsive disorder really wants to give credit to the author for spending so much time researching and writing a book. So I keep reading in hope. Oh well.

[Brida]

What’s the best book you read this year?

 

I didn't read a lot of books this year, but on the other hand, most of the books I finished were probably amongst the best books I've ever read

 

- Life of Pi (Yann Martel) - You're probably thinking ''Stop it already!'', but it needed to be said Such a positive book even though it describes very painful events and states of mind. So incredibly honest, real and comforting. Love it.

- Le Testament Français (Andrei Makine) - Such a beautiful book! Great story, beautiful descriptions, I loved the main character/narrator. Highly recommended!

- Tender is the Night (F. Scott Fitzgerald) - Great characters who have a lot of flaws, not what you'd call nice or perfect, or maybe even likeable, but they sure make an impact, excellent topic...

- Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami) - I loved the mixture of realistic things and fantasy here, some things are not very clear, but you don't feel the need to explain them And then, there's things which you keep pondering over and trying to understand. An easy and enjoyable read, though not just a simple book you read and then toss away (not that I toss away books, mind you). It's an interesting book, with lots of funny, sad, emotional, surreal things happening, and a bunch of very interesting and strange characters.

 

Worst?

 

I started reading The Book Thief, but didn't finish it. It just didn't appeal to me, and I could really see where it was going. Couldn't see the point. It seemed to be a favourite here on the forum, so I was sorry not to have liked it. Luckily, there were other books to make up for it

 

Favorite?

 

One of my favourite books ever (if not *the* favourite) - Life of Pi. Yes, I've already mentioned it too many times. But I also need to mention Le Testament Français here, because it made a huge impression, and was one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.